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The South Korean Defense Ministry said Friday it believes that a border shootout between South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) soldiers on Thursday was started accidentally.
"Possibilities are higher that North Korean soldiers accidentally opened fire while checking their firearms for the night shift, since there was no additional movements on the North Korean side following the clash," Hwang Young-soo, the ministry's spokesman, was quoted by national news agency Yonhap News as reporting.
On Thursday, DPRK soldiers opened fire on a South Korean guard post inside the demilitarized zone, the buffer area between the two sides, and South Korean soldiers immediately returned fire.
South Korea said it suffered no casualties during the one-minute fire exchange, while it was unknown whether DPRK suffered any casualties.
However, the spokesman did not rule out the possibility of an intentional motive.
The fire exchange accident occurred on a South Korean holiday --"Constitution Day."
(Xinhua News Agency July 18, 2003)
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